“You do not answer me,” rejoined the woman; “but if you think I don’t say true, Lord Soulis himself will assure you of the fact.”
“Alas, no!” returned Helen, profoundly sighing, “I believe it too well. I see the depth of the misery5 into which I am plunged6. And yet,” cried she, recollecting7 the imposition the men had put upon her:—“yet, I shall not be wholly so, if my father lives, and was not in the extremity8 they told me of!”
“If that thought gives you comfort, retain it,” returned the woman; “the whole story of the earl’s illness was an invention to bring you at so short notice from the protection of the prior.”
“I thank thee, gracious Providence9, for this comfort!” exclaimed Helen; “it inspires me with redoubled trust in thee.”
Margery shook her head. “Ah, poor victim (thought she), how vain is thy devotion!” But she had not time to say so, for her husband and the deserter from Cressingham re-entered the cave. Helen, afraid that it was Soulis, started up. The stranger proceeded to lift her in his arms; she struggled, and in the evidence of her action, struck his beaver10; it opened, and discovered a pale and stern countenance11, with a large scar across his jaw12; this mark of contest, and the gloomy scowl13 of his eyes, made Helen rush toward the woman for protection. The man hastily closed his helmet, and, speaking through the clasped steel, for the first time she heard his voice; it sounded, hollow and decisive; he bade her prepare to accompany Lord Soulis in a journey to the south.
Helen looked at her shackled14 arms, and despairing of effecting her escape by any effort of her own, she thought that gaining time might be some advantage; and allowing the man to take her hand, while Macgregor supported her on the other side, they led her out of the cave. She observed the latter smiled significantly at his wife. “Oh!” cried she, “to what am I betrayed? Unhand me! Leave me!” Almost fainting with dread15, she leaned against the arm of the stranger.
Thunder now peaked over her head, and lightning shot across the mountains. She looked up: “Merciful Heaven!” cried she, in a voice of deep horror; “send down thy bolt on me!” At that moment Soulis, mounted on his steed, approached, and ordered her to be put into the litter. Incapable16 of contending with the numbers which surrounded her, she allowed them to execute their master’s commands. Macgregor’s wife was set on a pillion behind him; and Soulis giving the word, they all marched on at a rapid pace. In a few hours, having cleared the shady valleys of the Clyde, they entered the long and barren tracts17 of the Leadhill Moors18.
A dismal19 hue20 overspread the country; the thunder yet roared in distant peals21, and the lightning came down in such vast sheets that the carriers were often obliged to set down their burden, and cover their eyes to regain22 their sight. A shrill23 wind pierced the slight covering of the litter, and blowing it aside, discovered the mist; or the gleaming of some wandering water, as it glided24 away over the cheerless waste.
“All is desolation, like myself!” thought Helen; but neither the cold wind, nor the rain, now drifting into her vehicle, occasioned her any sensation. It is only when the mind is at ease, that the body is delicate; all within her was too expectant of mental horrors to notice the casual inconveniences of season or situation. The cavalcade25 with difficulty mounted the steps of a mountainous hill, where the storm raged so turbulently that the men who carried the litter stopped, and told their lord it would be impossible to proceed in the approaching darkness; they conjured26 him to look at the perpendicular27 rocks, rendered indistinct by the gathering28 mist; to observe the overwhelming gusts29 of the tempest; and then judge whether they dare venture with the litter on so dangerous a pathway, made slippery by descending30 rain!
To halt in such a spot seemed to Soulis as unsafe as to proceed. “We shall not be better off,” answered he, “should we attempt to return: precipices31 lie on either side: and to stand still would be equally perilous32: the torrents33 from the heights increase so rapidly, there is every chance of our being swept away, should we remain exposed to the stream.”
Helen looked at these sublime34 cascades35 with a calm welcome, as they poured from the hills, and flung their spray upon the roof of her vehicle. She hailed her release in the death they menaced; and far from being intimidated36 at the prospect37, cast a resigned, and even wistful glance, into the swelling38 lake beneath, under whose waves she expected soon to sleep.
On the remonstrance39 of their master, the men resumed their pace; and after a hard contention40 with the storm, they gained the summit of the west side of the mountain, and were descending its eastern brow, when the shades of night closed in upon them. Looking down into the black chaos41, on the brink42 of which they must pass along, they once more protested they could not advance a foot, until the dawn should give them some security.
At this declaration, which Soulis saw could not now be disputed, he ordered the troop to halt under the shelter of a projecting rock. Its huge arch overhung the ledge43 that formed the road, while the deep gulf44 at his feet, by the roaring of its waters, proclaimed itself the receptacle of those cataracts45 which rush tremendous from the ever-streaming Pentland hills.
Soulis dismounted. The men set down the litter, and removed to a distance as he approached. He opened one of the curtains, and throwing himself beside the exhausted46, but watchful47 Helen, clasped his arms roughly about her, and exclaimed, “Sweet minion48, I must pillow on your bosom49 till the morn awakes!” His brutal50 lips were again riveted51 to her cheek. Ten thousand strengths seemed then to heave him from her heart; and struggling with a power that amazed even herself, she threw him from her; and holding him off with her shackled arms, her shrieks52 again pierced the heavens.
“Scream thy soul away, poor foul53!” exclaimed Soulis, seizing her fiercely in his arms; “for thou art now so surely mine, that Heaven itself cannot deprive me!”
At that moment her couch was shaken by a sudden shock, and in the next she was covered with the blood of Soulis. A stroke from an unseen arm had reached him, and starting on his feet, a fearful battle of swords took place over the prostrate54 Helen.
One of the men, out of the numbers who hastened to the assistance of their master, fell dead on her body; while the chief himself, sorely wounded, and breathing revenge and blasphemy55, was forced off by the survivors56. “Where do you carry me, villians?” cried he. “Separate me not from the vengeance57 I will yet hurl58 on that demon59 who has robbed me of my victim, or ye shall die a death more horrible than hell can inflict60!” He raved61; but more unheeded than the tempest. Terrified that the spirits of darkness were indeed their pursuers, in spite of his reiterated62 threats, the men carried him to a distant hollow in the rock, and laid him down, now insensible from loss of blood. One or two of the most desperate returned to see what was become of Lady Helen; well aware that if they could regain her, their master would be satisfied; but, on the reverse, should she be lost, the whole troop knew their fate would be some merciless punishment.
Macgregor, and the deserter of Cressingham, were the first who reached the spot where the lady had been left; with horror they found the litter, but not herself. She was gone. But whether carried off by the mysterious arm which had felled their lord, or she had thrown herself into the foaming63 gulf beneath, they could not determine. They decided64, however, the latter should be their report to Soulis; knowing that he would rather believe the object of his passions had perished, than that she had escaped his toils65.
Almost stupefied with consternation66, they returned to repeat this tale to their furious lord; who, on having his wounds staunched, had recovered from his swoon. On hearing that the beautiful creature he had so lately believed his own beyond the power of fate; that his property, as he called her, the devoted67 slave of his will, the mistress of his destiny, was lost to him forever! swallowed up in the whelming wave! he became frantic68. There was desperation in every word. He raved; tore up the earth like a wild beast; and, foaming at the mouth, dashed the wife of Macgregor from him, as she approached with a fresh balsam for his wounds. “Off, scum of a damned sex!” cried he. “Where is she, whom I intrusted to thy care?”
“My lord,” answered the affrighted woman, “you know best. You terrified the poor young creature. You forced yourself into a litter, and can you wonder-”
“That I should force you to perdition! execrable witch,” cried he, “that knew no better how to prepare a slave to receive her lord!” As he spoke69, he struck her again; but it was with his gauntlet hand, and the eyes of the unfortunate woman opened no more. The blow fell on her temple, and a motionless corpse70 lay before him.
“My wife!” cried the poor Macgregor, putting his trembling arms about her neck: “Oh, my lord, how have I deserved this? You have slain71 her!”
“Suppose I have!” returned the chief with a cold scorn; “she was old and ugly; and could you recover Helen, you should cull72 Hermitage, for a substitute for this prating73 bedlam74.”
Macgregor made no reply, but feeling in his heart that he “who sows the wind, must reap the whirlwind;” that such were the rewards from villainy, to its vile75 instruments; he could not but say to himself, “I have deserved it of my God, but not of thee!” and sobbing76 over the remains77 of his equally criminal wife, by the assistance of his comrades he removed her from the now hated presence of his lord.
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1
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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seizure
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| n.没收；占有；抵押 | |
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calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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6
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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recollecting
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| v.记起，想起( recollect的现在分词 ) | |
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extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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10
beaver
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| n.海狸，河狸 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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13
scowl
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| vi.(at)生气地皱眉，沉下脸，怒视；n.怒容 | |
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14
shackled
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| 给（某人）带上手铐或脚镣( shackle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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16
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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17
tracts
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| 大片土地( tract的名词复数 )； 地带； （体内的）道； （尤指宣扬宗教、伦理或政治的）短文 | |
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moors
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| v.停泊，系泊（船只）( moor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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19
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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20
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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21
peals
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| n.（声音大而持续或重复的）洪亮的响声( peal的名词复数 )；隆隆声；洪亮的钟声；钟乐v.（使）（钟等）鸣响，（雷等）发出隆隆声( peal的第三人称单数 ) | |
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22
regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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23
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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24
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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cavalcade
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| n.车队等的行列 | |
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26
conjured
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| 用魔术变出( conjure的过去式和过去分词 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现 | |
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27
perpendicular
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| adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置 | |
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28
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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29
gusts
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| 一阵强风( gust的名词复数 )； （怒、笑等的）爆发； （感情的）迸发； 发作 | |
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30
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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31
precipices
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| n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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32
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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34
sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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35
cascades
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| 倾泻( cascade的名词复数 )； 小瀑布（尤指一连串瀑布中的一支）； 瀑布状物； 倾泻（或涌出）的东西 | |
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36
intimidated
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| v.恐吓；威胁adj.害怕的；受到威胁的 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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38
swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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39
remonstrance
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| n抗议，抱怨 | |
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40
contention
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| n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张 | |
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41
chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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42
brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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43
ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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44
gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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45
cataracts
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| n.大瀑布( cataract的名词复数 )；白内障 | |
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46
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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48
minion
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| n.宠仆；宠爱之人 | |
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49
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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50
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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51
riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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52
shrieks
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| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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53
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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54
prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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55
blasphemy
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| n.亵渎，渎神 | |
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56
survivors
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| 幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 ) | |
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57
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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58
hurl
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| vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂 | |
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59
demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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60
inflict
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| vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担 | |
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61
raved
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| v.胡言乱语( rave的过去式和过去分词 )；愤怒地说；咆哮；痴心地说 | |
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62
reiterated
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| 反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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63
foaming
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| adj.布满泡沫的；发泡 | |
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64
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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toils
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| 网 | |
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66
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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67
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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69
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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71
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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72
cull
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| v.拣选；剔除；n.拣出的东西；剔除 | |
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73
prating
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| v.（古时用语）唠叨，啰唆( prate的现在分词 ) | |
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74
bedlam
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| n.混乱，骚乱；疯人院 | |
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75
vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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76
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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77
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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